Fortune Telling Cards
Kishor Gordhandas
16 July 2009, 02:00Throughout human history there have been prophets, seers, and others who have claimed to be able to see into the future. They read palms and tea leaves; cast stones and sticks; practice astrology and numerology; consult Ouija boards, crystal balls and interpret our dreams as well as using playing cards. Fortune-Telling itself is as old as man and has taken a number of different forms. Not surprisingly, it was not very long after their introduction that cards were used for reading the mysteries of the future and this was just the ordinary standard playing cards.
Cards made specifically for fortune telling did not appear until around the 16th century, with some of the oldest examples being based on palmistry. France was the biggest producers of fortune telling cards with Germany and England following close behind. Moving into more modern times probably the most famous fortune telling pack was the one devised by Mlle. Lenormand. She was a celebrated Sybil of the 18th Century and is said to have read for Napoleon. Her oversized cards are made up of: a central picture at the bottom of the card; a middle one which is a flower; a miniature playing card index in the top left-hand corner; a letter and palmistry sign in the top right-hand corner; and a constellation or planetary arrangement in the top centre.
A very popular pack of German origin, which is still being produced today, is the “Lenormand Fortune Telling” pack. The cards are of a normal size and feature different meaningful pictures and interpretations. The cards are numbered and have miniature playing card indices either in a square or oval design along the top. Some of the more complicated packs have a picture, letter, number, planet, astrological sign, and a palm reading. In contrast, other packs simply show a picture and a one-word creation such as, ‘love’, ‘sorrow’, ‘fortune’ etc.
“The Deck of the Hand” was one of the fortune telling decks invented by B. P. Grimaud when his company bought the card manufacturer, Pussey, in 1890. It is composed of 56 cards divided into seven suits based on the colours of a rainbow. Palmistry is one of the uses to which the deck may be put, as its name indicates. In addition, the display of the standard cards in a tiny inset means it can also be used by people familiar with traditional decks. As stated there are many types of fortune telling cards, all of which are usually shuffled according to a certain plan or layout and then read according to the positioning and relationship of the cards to each other within the framework.
Tarot cards are also widely used for fortune telling, although that was not their original intention according to the historians. The tarot pack is a somewhat unusual composition as it is made up of two distinct types of cards. The Minor Arcana are fifty – six cards similar in the structure to our fifty-two card pack with ace through king with addition of a cavalier in each suit. This additional card is also called a prince or knight. The suits are usually Italian or Spanish and are as follows; coins, cups, swords and batons. The Major Arcana are twenty-two additional cards numbered zero through twenty-one, and are totally lacking in either values or suit signs. The zero is either a fool, a jester, or harlequin. Perhaps this card provided the inspiration for our modern joker. In many Tarot sets, there are twenty-two major arcane cards but the cards are numbered from one through twenty-one with the twenty-second being the jester!
Originating in Italy the Tarot deck with Latin suit symbols were initially used as a game. The complexity of its rules, varying according to era and region, eventually caused it to fall from favour and the game of Tarot might have been lost forever. Then came the French Revolution of which one of the most unexpected consequences was the development of an immoderate taste for cartomancy. So it was that the Nineteenth century saw a continued growth in the popularity of fortune telling cards of all kinds, and the Tarot found its place once more. The origin of Tarot cards are just as obscure as the origins of traditional playing cards. Because a Tarot deck is composed of a traditional deck with court and pips cards on one hand, and a series of twenty-two trump cards on the other, many people think that the latter evolved separately around the 15th century. The two sets would only have been combined later to play the game of ‘Tarochhi’.
Standard fifty-two card packs can be used to tell fortunes. There are books and pamphlets which assign a meaning to each card and an appropriate interpretation. Many decks have been manufactured with meanings already printed on them. Around the turn of the century, 1900s, there were several similar types which included; ‘Ye Witches’, ‘NILE Fortune Telling’, ‘Egyptian’, and ‘Revelation Fortune Telling Cards’. Modern technology and enlightenment have not diminished the popularity of such packs.
Lenormand cards are thirty-six card packs which if suits and numbers are shown, usually run form six through ace omitting the smaller numbers. The important features of these cards is the subject represented on each card and its meaning. They have illustration of various significance such as; The Serpent;, The Ship, The Heart, The Flower, The Ring, The Fox, The Letter, and The Cross to name a few. There may or may not be an explanation on each card. In most of these decks another common feature is that card number twenty-eight is a gentleman and number twenty-nine a lady. These cards represent the person about whom the fortune is being told, and where they appear in the layout is important to the interpretation.
Miscellaneous fortune telling cards are those that do not fit any established pattern. These include; I CHING cards, Palmistry Packs, Chinese Dragon and other Oriental variations; and several astrological types. In 1965 Parker Brothers USA came out with ‘Zolar’s New Astrological Tarot Fortune Telling Cards’. This pack has material printed on both sides of the cards, and includes Tarot designs, signs of the Zodiac, Planets, and Lucky Numbers; something for everybody. With a little serious practice, anyone can work up a routine that can provide some interesting entertainment. Always remember though the famous words: “The Cards Never Lie”!
Comment
The International Playing Card Society Millennium Members Pack A Trip To Little Lhasa
